Udaan: Flying Too High

內容大綱
Udaan was an Indian business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce start-up founded in 2016. Initially, it grew at a brisk pace, achieving unicorn status in record time. For the small retailers Udaan targeted, the pre-existing product distribution chain was long, inefficient, and highly fractured. With the arrival of e-commerce, deepening cell phone penetration, and the government’s increased interest in digitization, many start-ups emerged in the B2B e-commerce space. While most players adopted a vertical-based business model focused on specific product categories, Udaan pursued top-line growth and attacked the sector’s inefficiencies with a horizontal, cross-category business model. As of 2021, the valuation of Udaan’s competitors have grown much faster than its own. In face of this pressure, Udaan’s founders had to consider revisiting their strategy and exploring other options.
學習目標
This case is designed for graduate-level courses on strategic management, managing start-ups and growth, business models for new ventures, and, in particular, overall growth strategies. It can also be taught in executive education programs focused on business models and the e-commerce sector. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<br><br\><ul><li>Develop a deeper understanding of the ongoing changes B2B e-commerce is causing in distribution chains.</li><li>Analyze the challenges and opportunities created by technological disruptions and how different players respond to them.</li><li>Understand the implications of a business model on a firm’s top-line growth and profitability.</li><li>Understand the rationales behind choosing venture capital or an initial public offering to spur growth.</li></ul>
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